Is President Ong Teng Cheong a Targeted Individual?

[President Ong Teng Cheong: Some ministers consider me a nuisance checking on them]

The late President Ong was diligent in carrying out his duties to safeguard Singapore's reserves. This is his main function as the first elected President of Singapore.

Unfortunately, some of the PAP ministers in the Cabinet didn't like it. This was revealed by President Ong in his last month of Presidency when he called a press conference to tell both local and foreign journalists on 16 Jul 1999.

http://edition.cnn.com/ASIANOW/asiaweek/99/0730/nat7.html

He spoke frankly about the obstacles he faced as Singapore's first directly elected president. He told reporters that his job was not an easy one. Of his encounters with the govt, he said, "I suspect [some ministers and officials] consider the elected president a nuisance - checking on them, looking over their shoulder."

As the Elected President, President Ong had veto power over the use of the country's reserves as well as over the appointment of key government positions. 

[56-man years to get info on reserves]

While he mentioned a "long list" of problems, he elaborated mainly on his attempts to test his authority as guardian of the reserves. One of the issues he had with the govt was getting information about the reserves.

In a later interview with AsiaWeek in 2000, he revealed that the PAP govt was dragging its feet in giving him the information he needed about the reserves.

http://edition.cnn.com/ASIANOW/asiaweek/magazine/2000/0310/nat.singapore.ongiv.html

"They (the govt) did not think there was any urgency. You see, if you ask me to protect the reserves, then you've got to tell me what I'm supposed to protect. So I had to ask," he said. The govt kept stonewalling President Ong till 1996 and he had to write to PM Goh to remind him.

"As president, I have to safeguard them and they can only be drawn upon with my permission. So I said to Mr Goh: It's already halfway through my term, but until today I still don't know all these figures about the reserves," he added.

"For the assets, like properties and so on, normally you say it's worth $30 million or $100 million or whatever. But they said it would take 56-man years to produce a dollar-and-cents value of the immovable assets. So I discussed this with the accountant-general and the auditor-general and we came to a compromise. The government would not need to give me the dollar-and-cents value, just give me a listing of all the properties that the government owns," he told AsiaWeek.

Eventually the govt did give the list to President Ong. "But even when they gave me the list, it was not complete," he lamented.

NMP Simon Tay noted the tension between President Ong and the Cabinet, "There are two implications here - bad and good - that shock people. The bad one is that even though Ong was an insider, it was still hard [for him] to get straight answers. The good one is that Ong did not see himself as a rubber stamp."

At the press conference in 1999, President Ong also announced his decision not to seek a second term. It was revealed later it was because his wife was sick and dying with cancer. He wanted to spend more time with her in her last moments.

[PAP Govt did not like President Ong at all]

 

Shortly after his public disclosure with regard to the "long list" of problems he had with the govt, the govt responded by denouncing him.

LKY as member of Cabinet spoke out against President Ong. He said that President Ong's "recalcitrance" had upset him and his former PAP colleagues. In this regard, Mr Ong responded through AsiaWeek in 2000, "I would not call it recalcitrant. I mentioned some of the problems -- or many of the problems -- that I faced. If they regard that as an attack on the government and on the civil service, then that is for them to interpret."

"The prime minister (Goh) and I spoke at my farewell reception. We agreed that we would say what we have to say. I think it came out well. He said that my statements, and his rebuttal in parliament, were probably a good thing. They showed the transparency of the system. I stand by what I said," he added.

Ong Teng Cheong passed away in 2002 from lymphoma. Before his death, he had asked to be cremated and for his ashes to be placed at Mandai Columbarium with those of ordinary citizens instead of Kranji State Cemetery."